The White House on Tuesday announced
its support for a federal bill that seeks nationwide LGBT
protections.

Introduced by Democrats in July, the
Equality Act seeks to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in seven key
areas, including credit, education, employment, federal funding,
housing, jury service and public accommodations, by effectively
expanding the Civil Rights Act, originally approved in 1964.

White House press secretary Josh
Earnest told reporters that the administration had been reviewing the
bill “for several weeks.”

“Upon that review it is now clear
that the administration strongly supports the Equality Act,”
Earnest said. “That bill is historic legislation that would
advance the cause of equality for millions of Americans.”

“We look forward to working with
Congress to ensure that the legislative process produces a result
that balances both the bedrock principles of civil rights … with
the religious liberty that we hold dear in this country,” he
added.

Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
applauded the move.

“By endorsing the Equality Act, the
White House sent a strong message that it's time to put the politics
of discrimination behind us once and for all,” Griffin said in a
statement. “Now it's time for Congress to act. Everyone should be
able to live free from fear of discrimination and have a fair chance
to earn a living and provide for their families, including people who
are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.”

The endorsement came on the same day
that Obama was named Out's “Ally of the Year,” making him
the first sitting U.S. president to appear on the cover of an LGBT
title.